Fantasy 2014 Rookie RBs: Underwhelming across the board

May 20, 2014 12:28 AM EST

Share

this page

Over the
last two seasons, rookie running backs have made quite the splash in their
first campaigns. In 2012, we had Trent
Richardson (don't laugh), Doug Martin, and Alfred Morris as above-average
performers. Last year, we got Eddie
Lacy, Gio Bernard, and even Andre Ellington and Montee Ball. So, for myself and probably countless others,
the rookie running back class is exciting and could hold another Martin or Lacy. Based on the results of the past two seasons,
you'd expect to see a '14 rookie RB fly to the top of the waiver wire or even
the top of the weekly fantasy rankings, right?

Not so
fast.

The homes
of the '14 rookie running backs don't give much opportunity. There were a number of landing spots that
would at least be intriguing for a rookie RB: Jacksonville, Indianapolis,
Tennessee, and NYG come to mind. Even
Baltimore, NYJ, Carolina, or Atlanta might be a little exciting. Of the 8 aforementioned teams, only 1 of them
drafted a RB in the first 100 picks: the Titans. Let's take a look at the new teams of the RBs
taken in the top 100 picks. Don't worry,
there are only 8.

Bishop Sankey

Pick 52 - TEN

At least the first RB taken
went to a RB-needy team. He'll compete
with Greene, but I could see him taking over.
The only pick I'm not that mad about.

Jeremy Hill

Pick 55 - CIN

Gio + BJGE was frustrating
enough. Now we have to add a third
musketeer. Hill is big, so he'll
interfere with BJGE more than Gio, but the small mess just got a little
messier. He's behind BJGE for the
beginning of the year, at least.

Carlos Hyde

Pick 57 - SF

Frank Gore, LaMichael James, Marcus
Lattimore, Kendall Hunter, and now Carlos Hyde. The 49ers are just being greedy now. Many touted Hyde as the #1 RB in the draft,
but I don't see him getting on the field unless he gets some circumstantial
help.

Charles Sims

Pick 69 - TB

Sims has a small chance to be a decent fantasy
performer in 2014. If Martin returns
to his old self, Sims will very likely be irrelevant. He'll even have to battle Bobby Rainey for
the #2 spot. He has probably more of a chance than most members of this list.

Tre Mason

Pick 75 - STL

Zac Stacy is the man in St.
Louis, and there are a slew of backups there with Mason. Disappointing.

Terrance West

Pick 94 - CLE

Many viewed West as a very
exciting pick and playmaker, and, yes, he could have landed in a worse
place. I've heard people say he'll
overtake Tate as the starter, but there are a ton of RBs around him,
including the recently signed Isaiah Crowell who could be a gamebreaker. So many mouths to feed in Cleveland right
now.

Jerick McKinnon

Pick 96 - MIN

Well, he's behind AP. Handcuff
at best, but since AP is a robot, who knows if he even needs a handcuff. Just kidding, always get a handcuff.

Dri Archer

Pick 97 - PIT

Le'Veon Bell has the starter
job to himself, but the addition of LeGarrette Blount just muddles things
even more. Don't expect much.

There you
have it. Could it have been worse? Eh,
probably. There's no way to say that
none of these 8 will end up being a fantasy star, but the situations could have
been a whole lot better.